The Millinocket ambulance responded as did the Penobscot County Sheriff's Department. Penobscot County Medical Examiner, John Y. Connolly, M.D., was also notified. After about 4 hours of waiting and watching in disbelief, we were allowed into Johnny's home to speak to John Connolly. Since the gun was found on my brother's chest it was automatically labeled a "Suicide" by Deputy Quinton Goodall, who had no right to do so without an investigation.
Right from the very beginning, we had many questions. At 9:00 P.M., Deputy Goodall, who had responded to the call earlier that day, knocked on our door and asked for the key's to Johnny's home. He had Detective Joe Zamboni from the Maine State Police Department with him. The deputy informed us that there had been another bullet hole discovered once the body had been removed from the crime scene and that my brother's body was on the way to Augusta at that moment for an autopsy. My father and I talked with the Deputy and we were under the impression that suspicions had arose. we felt relieved at that time because we thought it would be investigated properly. The three men then left our home to go to Johnny's home to look around. Less than an hour later, the keys were brought back, but we didn't ask any questions at this point and no information was volunteered. On August 6th we learned that Detective Zamboni had ruled Johnny's death a suicide. We asked Detective Zamboni if we could have a meeting with him to discuss Johnny's and a meeting was arranged for Friday, August 7th.
Prior to the meeting with Mr. Zamboni, members of my immediately family went to Johnny's home to investigate. While at Johnny's home we inspected the mattress in Johnny's bedroom and discovered a sheet and blanket with bullet holes in them on the floor in a corner of the room rolled in a ball. It was at this point we decided to hire a private investigator.
During the meeting on August 7th with Detective Zamboni, we asked him to explain to us how the blanket and sheet were involved and to explain the blood on the mattress. The only thing we wanted was a logical scenario of what happened. Detective Zamboni knew nothing of the sheet and blanket. I then asked him if he had been to my brother's home the night of August 5th to investigate. "Why didn't you see that there was a blanket and sheet with bullet holes in them?" I asked. Detective Zamboni mumbled something and I never got an explanation. We asked him to go to the home and reconstruct what had happened. Detective Zamboni gave us the most ridiculous story. I actually laughed! Detective Zamboni was adamant at this time that it was a suicide and did not like our questioning his ruling.
On August 21st, our private investigator, Bruce Buchanan, had a meeting with Detective Zamboni and Chief Glenn Ross from the Penobscot County Sheriffs' Department at the department in Bangor. Mr Buchanan had convinced them to at least hear the family's concerns. After this meeting Mr. Buchanan said that there were enough questions unanswered to schedule a meeting with the Medical Examiner.